Residents

Med/Peds Resident Photo Album

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Conner Baus, M.D.

Conner was born right here near Wichita. He grew up on a farm between Douglass and Rose Hill. He attended undergrad at Baylor University where he got his degree in chemistry. That training in chemistry served him well when he returned to Kansas and had an uncanny level of chemistry with a local woman named Desiree. They got married and have a wonderful family; there’s Donovan who loves swimming, Naruto, and anything to do with video games, and Maeve who loves animals, screaming, laughing, and throwing food to the dogs. Will they have more kids? Only time will tell.

Conner completed medical school at KU and considers himself very lucky to have matched here in Wichita for residency. He loves this community and is grateful for the chance to serve it. He hopes to one day be able to practice inpatient medicine as a hospitalist in both Peds and Internal Medicine right here in Wichita and help teach other future doctors. His patients will tell you that they sometimes wish they were just a little more sick so that Dr. Baus could keep providing them such excellent care. (True statement)!

Austin Cook, M.D.

Austin was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, but spent most of his childhood in Wichita, Kansas, and Jefferson City, Missouri. After attending middle school and high school in enemy territory surrounded by Tiger fans, he attended the University of Kansas where he got his degree in biochemistry.

After a two-year stop working as a scribe in the Hutchinson, Kansas, Emergency Room, he attended KU School of Medicine here in Wichita and is thrilled to be able to stay here for residency training! His current goal for the future is to work as both a Pediatric and Internal Medicine Hospitalist.

Jessica Emoto, M.D.

Jessica was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, (go Blazers!) until moving to Hillsboro, Kansas, to play tennis at Tabor College. She then became a Jayhawk after attending KU School of Medicine-Wichita for medical school. Becoming a Jayhawk was a major step up from her high school mascot, the gopher. Jessica still tries to play tennis sometimes but has now joined a pickleball league as well. She also enjoys hiking, cooking, baking bread/pastries, and sharing said baked goods with her co-residents. After residency, Jessica has no idea what she might want to go into yet, but she would like to incorporate international medicine into her practice.

Tyler Knapp, D.O.

Tyler was born and raised in Arkansas. He grew up in Hot Springs and spent a lot of time hiking and enjoying nature. After attending Arkansas State University, he worked as a medical scribe for an outpatient internist in Little Rock. It was there he learned the importance of serving the local community, and what being a physician meant. This experience solidified his desire and resolve as he entered medical school. Tyler plans to be a primary care physician after completing residency. Outside of medicine, he enjoys spending time with his bride, letting his poodle train him, (as opposed to him training his poodle), trivia contests and watching basketball. Ask Tyler what he collects!

Heidi Koschwanez, M.D.

Heidi was born and raised in Northern Ontario, Canada. She obtained her undergraduate degree in biological engineering from the University of Guelph and her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Duke. She met a very cute post-doctoral research fellow named Dave while in grad school and followed him to New Zealand, where they got married, had two kids, and worked in research at the University of Auckland. In 2017, they moved to Wichita and had two more kids. Heidi attended medical school at the KU School of Medicine-Wichita where she met all the wonderful Med/Peds residents and decided Med/Peds was the right career choice for her, especially if she could stay in Wichita to continue working alongside these awesome residents!

Jordan Marshall, M.D.

This Wichitan obtained his degree in chemistry at Wichita State University and his medical degree at the American University of the Caribbean. During his spare time, his thing is going to as many metal concerts as he can and introducing the wonderful world of metal music to his boys, Bradley and Ian. He has a room in his house dedicated to The Lord of The Rings with a very cool map of the Middle Earth. KU Med/Peds feels lucky to have him as part of our Med/Peds family.

David Maundu, M.D.

David is a health care professional with an extensive background in clinical research, infectious diseases and health care administration. His journey began with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Nairobi and led to a Master of Science in Infectious Diseases from the University of London’s prestigious London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

In addition to his research contributions, David led medical teams in various challenging settings. His time as a combat medic in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and medical coordinator for Doctors Without Borders underscored his commitment to providing quality care, even in demanding environments. David is an advocate for medical preparedness and has volunteered with the Medical Reserve Corps, contributing to Philadelphia’s emergency response efforts. His involvement in various initiatives, such as Doctors Without Borders and youth mobilization programs, highlights his dedication to health care outreach and community engagement. He welcomes opportunities to collaborate with diverse teams, contribute to research excellence, and drive positive impact in the health care field.

Joseph Odeyemi, M.D., MPH

Joseph was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. He attended Olabisi Onabanjo University for medical school, where he ranked first in his class upon graduation. He worked as a general practitioner for a few years before moving to Fort Worth, Texas, to complete his Master of Public Health degree at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. Joseph loves taking care of both adults and children, and he feels very lucky to be a part of the KU Wichita Med/Peds family. He is not sure what he wants to do after residency, but he hopes to incorporate community medicine into his future practice. Joseph enjoys watching and playing football (the real football). He also loves history, and he knows a lot of weird and random facts. Joseph loves to laugh, and he considers himself to be a connoisseur of funny memes.

Fernanda Villavicencio, M.D.

Maria Fernanda (aka Fer or Fern) was born and raised on the equator with four worlds in one place (Andes highlands, Amazon jungle, Coast and The Galapagos Islands; Ecuador!  She graduated from medical school at Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador. She was part of the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA) for several years representing her country in a Research Exchange. She also worked as a Professor's Assistant and an assistant instructor for immunology and internal medicine at her university. Throughout her years of training, she developed a deep interest in immunology and global health with experience in research and medical brigades, serving underserved communities and helping provide relief after natural disasters.  She plans to pursue a career in Allergy and Immunology and found her path by doing a medicine/pediatrics residency, bringing her to Wichita, Kansas!

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends as well as watching her nephew and cousins grow. She tries to keep active in dancing, doing yoga and enjoys oil painting while listening to some good rock and metal music. She feels lucky to have found herself in Wichita where she lives with Igor, her cat that moved with her from Ecuador and her new kitty Groot. 

Marissa Copas Weaver, M.D.

Marissa was born in Georgia but grew up in Andover, Kansas. She is a lifelong Shocker and completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at Wichita State University. Between college and medical school, Marissa had two babies, Adalynn and MacKenzie, who are the brightest lights in her life. She filled her lifelong dream of becoming a doctor by attending the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita and is now happily training in Med/Peds to find her niche in the world of medicine. Her interests include hospital medicine and critical care, developmental pediatrics, international medicine, and transitional care. 

When she is not "doctoring," Marissa can be found hanging out with her kids and neighbors. Her family loves to play card games, make up silly songs, and crafts. Her current claim to crafting fame is the king-size blanket she crocheted during COVID. Marissa is also an avid reader, enjoys trying new recipes, and loves to travel, especially if a lake or beach are involved. Her ideal medical mission would be to a place where she could practice medicine and then relax on the beach during her time off. 

Leah Whitis, M.D.

Leah was born and raised in Buda, Texas (Austin area), before moving to Portland for undergrad at Lewis and Clark College. Leah received her medical laboratory scientist training at Texas Tech University Health Science Center and worked all over the U.S., including two years in O’ahu Hawai’i, before getting her Medical Degree from American University of the Caribbean.

She and her partner, Taylor, moved to Wichita from the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado and they have two fur babies: Grimm, an English Bulldog, and Bertie, a Boxer. Leah loves whitewater boating, hiking with her dogs, skiing, and cooking for family and friends. Med-Peds appealed to Leah because she is interested in doing rural medicine and the options provided with Med-Peds would allow her to work just about anywhere!

Lawrence Zhou, M.D.

Lawrence was born and raised in Wisconsin, but is not a cheesehead and far from fond of winters. In fact, he firmly believes American football should be renamed handegg. After obtaining a Bachelor of Science in microbiology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and learning valuable lessons with AmeriCorps, he promptly ran away from the snow to Grenada where he attended St. George’s University School of Medicine. Lawrence is honored to obtain residency at KU, as his parents are Jayhawks. He now looks forward to figuring out what he wants to do with his life because of the endless possibilities Med/Peds has to offer. Ultimately, he wishes to incorporate underserved populations into his career. In his spare time, he enjoys the beautiful game, the great outdoors, and discussing Star Wars lore among many others.